A Little Secret


Harry Jones was sitting on a park bench looking at his phone.  Along came an elderly man who had very long shaggy hair, and he sat next to Harry.

“I have a secret.”  He whispered to Harry.

“What?”  Harry was confused.

“I have a secret.”  The man handed him a ticket.  “Go here to find the secret.”

Days later, Harry was in the town of Boyertown, Pennsylvania.  He went to the spot where the man told him to go, but he saw nothing but an empty lot.

“Are you looking for something?”  A little girl asked him as she snuck up behind him.

He looked at here shabby dress and long shaggy hair and dirty bare feet.  Confused, he replied, “I was told that there was a secret here, but I do not see anything.”

The little girl took his hand, and they walked over to the empty lot.  He kept looking at the lot, but everything changed.  There was a Victorian style train depot.  The little girl was now a young woman wearing a lovely old style dress with her shoes in her hand.

“Welcome to the year 1920,” he said.  “I am going to see a baseball game.  Want to come?”

Harry was more confused.

“Just stay with me.”

She went to the ticket window and bought two tickets.  She came back to him and said, “We have two tickets for the parlor car.”

They walked over to the train and boarded the parlor car.  He looked around and was amazed.

“It is real.  You can touch the furniture.”

They sat down on a velvet seat.  The woman rubbed her feet on the blue carpet.  They rode the train, and they arrived at the stadium.  They watched the game, and they rode the train back to Boyertown.  They walked away from the train, but he felt something.  He saw the little girl in the shabby dress and dirty feet.  Looking back at the empty lot, he asked, “What happened?”

You are now wondering about what just happened.  What happened is that Harry took a ride on the Secret Valley Line, commonly known as the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.  The name ‘Secret Valley’ comes from the fact that the train runs on track that does not parallel and roads making the scenery mainly accessible by train.  You take a ride in restored passenger cars from the early twentieth century in a coach car, a parlor car or a dining car.  They have themed excursions throughout the year to include Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, Christmas plus many other themes to include the new Kentucky Derby Train, Vintage Baseball and so much more.  A ride on the Colebrookdale will be a ride that you will never forget, and you will ride again and again and again and again.

The Colebrookdale Railroad is a work in progress.  They are currently restoring other passenger cars to include one that will be wheelchair accessible.  They are also restoring the area around the depot to make it look more like the 1820’s to include a fountain.  The parking lot is currently gravel and only outhouses are available as restrooms, but there are restrooms on the train.

The Colebrookdale Railroad is an all-volunteer operation that is operated by the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust.  They are located in the town of Boyertown, Pennsylvania on Washington Street just south of Pennsylvania Route 73 in the heart of the town.  For more information about the railroad, their excursions, the restoration projects, how you can donate, their freight services or how you can even volunteer for the many services they do, go to www.ColebrookdaleRailroad.com.

You now know the secret.  Now come and ride the Secret Valley Line.

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